Saturday, June 16, 2012

There are obviously many inherent problems with planning a maned mission to Mars. Not the least of which being the plethora of issues that arise with the time it would take to get there, which is about 7 months with current technology. But perhaps the biggest problem with such a mission, or it least the most cost prohibitive one, is figuring out how to bring people back once we get there. Which is why one long proposed solution to this issue has been- don't. And that's exactly what a privately funded Dutch Company called Mars One, hopes to do by the year 2023.

The plan's pretty simple really, relatively speaking. In 2016, the company plans to place it's own communications satellite into orbit around Mars, followed by a rover in 2018, to scout locations for their proposed settlement. Living quarters and life support units, along with a second rover which will work in conjunction with the first to prepare said equipment, would arrive in 2020. And finally, in 2023, four Mars One astronauts would arrive to live out the rest of their lives on the martian surface. The settlement would then be kept alive by subsequent missions to the planet every two years, which would also bring new settlers with each trip.

Now, I'm a realist... Okay, I'm kind of a pessimist, if not a cynic, though I'm doing my best to try and be a little less of both those things. And while this is an obviously ambitious goal for any entity to try and accomplish, and one which I can't help but doubt will ever become a reality. The basic plan here, I think, is both a plausible and reasonable one. Particularly if you remember to take into account the exponential rate at which modern technology grows. And now that private industry has begun to get into the business of
space exploration, just imagine the advances in space technology we can
expect to see in the coming decade.

As for weather or not it's a worthwhile endeavor to even try and send people to live on another planet. I suppose that depends on what you think the ultimate purpose of space exploration really is. Because if it's just about cataloging facts about the universe. Then, as many have strongly argued, there's really no point in sending anything living out into the void, when robots are so much better suited for the task. On the other hand, if you happen to think the purpose of space exploration is, EXPLORATION. That human beings actually walking on the surface of other worlds and seeing those worlds with and our own eyes rather than over a live video stream, holds a value greater than simply collecting data. Then, like me, your answer is probably an enthusiastic, yes. And the idea that human beings living on another planet might actually be on it's way to becoming a reality, satisfies a fantasy you've been entertaining for a very long time.

And No, I don't mean the one with the girl with three boobs. I was actually trying to be all thoughtful and philosophical and stuff. Why do you always have to make everything dirty?